Angela Rye calls for all Washington, Jefferson & Lee monuments to be taken down

CNN political commentator Angela Rye said Thursday that all statues and memorials of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee "need to come down."

Rye, a former executive of the Congressional Black Caucus, said there is a "problem" with how people are taught American history in school, further explaining that they only learn about the "glories" of the country's past and not about darker issues such as racism.

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"George Washington was a slave owner. Whether we think they were protecting American freedom or not, he wasn't protecting my freedom," Rye said on CNN.

"My ancestors weren't deemed human beings to him. [The monuments] all need to come down," she said, calling out all three Virginians.

"This country was built on a very violent past that resulted in the death and the raping and the killing of my ancestors. I'm not going to allow us to say it's okay for Robert E. Lee but not a George Washington. We need to call it what it is," she said.

Rye's comments arrived as a national debate flared anew on whether or not Confederate statues and monuments should be removed across the country.

SEE ALSO: Trump slams removing 'beauty' of Confederate monuments as 'foolish'

President Trump also weighed in on the matter Thursday.

"Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments," Trump tweeted. "You can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson – who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish!"